To properly represent the brewing creativity and fine ingredients that can be found in Pasco County, Joel Moore of Big Storm, Tim Foley of Craft Life Brewing, and Robert Hilferding of Zephyrhills Brewing joined forces to create a Pasco-themed, collaboration brew to feature during the 2017 Tampa Bay Beer Week celebration. After a bit of brainstorming, it was decided that they would brew up Open Spaces Porter, a name inspired by Pasco County’s “Open Spaces – Vibrant Places” campaign that has proven to make an incredibly positive impact on area businesses. Staying true to the campaign’s intentions, this special collaboration beer keeps things local by featuring honey sourced from Queen Kathleen Honey and a citrus puree from Kumquat Growers Inc. In taking this approach, these three breweries have created an American Porter that not only showcases the area’s beer scene but also the local products that quite often serve as their inspiration.

“The Pasco County Economic Development Council has done an amazing job promoting the area as one of great opportunity for growing businesses,” said Mike Bishop, Founder of Big Storm Brewery. “The Open Spaces – Vibrant Places campaign launched earlier this year by the Pasco EDC was the inspiration behind the name, as it speaks to our shared spirit of collaboration, teamwork and love of the area.”

Open Spaces Porter is a limited, draft-only release that will be unveiled at the Meet the Pasco Brewers event to be held at Big Storm’s Odessa location (2330 Success Dr. Odessa, Florida) on Saturday, March 11 at 6 p.m. In addition to being able to try Open Spaces Porter, attendees will also experience a discussion/Meet & Greet with all three participating brewers, several other beers from the participating breweries, live music, and tasty grub from local food trucks. If you are north of the city and looking for a fun/educational way to wrap up your 2017 Tampa Bay Beer Week, check out the Meet the Pasco Brewers event and give Open Spaces Porter a try on March 11. Prost!